Wildcard
by Queen of Corners
Summary: Dungeons were infamous for bending time and space, but this time, Ja'far thought, they might've gone a little too far.
1. Watch out for the flying carpet!

**A/N** : With the way manga's been going, that short omake where Sinbad and Alibaba go dungeon diving together and, well, a whole myriad of heart wrenching problems with Sinbad no Bouken's recent arc, I sort of came up with this.

AKA, fourteen year old Sinbad takes Balbadd arc by storm.

Poor Alibaba. As if he didn't already have enough problems. Or wait, scratch that. Poor Ja'far. He's the one who'll be stuck babysitting two dungeon conquerors, a magi and a Fanalis... all of whom have this inborn habit of getting into loads of trouble.

* * *

 _For father, for mother, for the village, for this nation… To change the world… I CAN'T LOSE!_

Bone crunched, blood splattered.

Drakon fell with a soft thud.

Sinbad drew his fist back, limbs trembling in exhaustion. He tried to control his breathing, but it came out ragged, while his heart beat so fast it almost felt like his chest would explode. He blinked the sweat away from his eyes, couldn't afford a moment to spare, _Drakon might stand up again_.

It wouldn't be the first time.

Sinbad wasn't sure if he could get one more hit in. Not with his body betraying him like this.

He gritted his teeth. _No, knees, don't buckle, not yet._

One second, another.

Drakon didn't move.

Sinbad released a breath, picked up his discarded sword from the ground, his stance slackening. Straightened his shoulders, stood as tall as he could. Eyes drifted towards the blue giant—Baal, he'd said his name was. For a moment, he thought its eyes twinkled.

"The victory is mine," he said.

His voice came out stronger than he'd hoped. Good. Under the giant's scrutinizing eyes, shortage of confidence simply wouldn't do.

"I've witnessed it clearly. Sinbad. I approve you as my lord. Receive it with the sword in your hand. This is the power you yearn for!"

Wind swept through the dungeon, one that spoke of adventure and magic and _change_. The otherworldly prowess needed for to bring about the change in the war torn world. Sinbad's eyes widened as blue light illuminated the remnants of the ancient city around them, unable to quite contain the victorious smile that threatened to split his face in half. The light condensed until all that remained was an eight-pointed star engraved in the blade with magic, symbol of his newly acquired power.

A tremor shook the treasury. Followed by another, much stronger one.

Several pillars caved in, only barely missing Drakon's unconscious body thanks to Sinbad's quick reaction. The more seconds passed, the worse it seemed to get.

He glanced towards the giant, its expression unreadable.

"Is this something that's supposed to happen?"

"No."

Walls themselves shook with violent tremors, valuable treasures spilling over the paved surface. Sound akin to that of a building collapsing in on itself echoed. Sinbad had a feeling treasury wouldn't last long.

" _Somebody_ is interfering!" the giant roared, voice shaking with venomous anger. "Closing my dungeon from the _outside_. Who _dares_ —"

Words died on his tongue as blinding light filled the room. Sinbad gripped onto his sword tighter, squinted, but even so he could barely see anything more than his own arms. _How do I fight like this? There has to be a way!_

Baal's voice echoed through the dungeon again, this time more like a rumble of thunder that made his ears ring.

"There is no time, my lord. There will be a heavy price to pay, but I will _save you_ —"

All sound disappeared.

Sinbad blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Body as though weightless floated through the air, while his eyes slowly adapted to the sudden change in light. He didn't feel like he was moving, but steadily, what looked like an enormous blue sphere only seemed to decrease in size.

 _This is the same as when I got in._

He wasn't falling, however. And there was no light to reach out for.

 _What in the world—_

Invisible force spun him before he could finish the thought, and he found himself falling face first towards another source of light, different, stronger, pulling him in closer and faster and faster—

He landed on the hard ground with a groan. Bag filled to the brim with dungeon treasures dropped on his back, punching air straight out of his lungs. _Oof!_

Sinbad coughed. As if getting all beaten up courtesy of Drakon _wasn't_ enough...

Shifting his elbows until he could lift off the ground just enough so he could breathe, he surveyed his surroundings. _Lots of green, tall grass, underbrush, tree trunks… definitely a forest. That smell in the air… sea's gotta be close—_

Two pairs of bare feet. And looking up higher, two pairs of eyes; one blue, one red. Both blinking down at him, twin expressions of shock.

The girl was taller, clearly older, with a bedrest slung over her tiny shoulders, but even so didn't look much older than Sinbad himself. The boy couldn't be older than ten, a metal flute hanging around his neck and a staff through his belt. They didn't scream.

 _Well, okay, then, maybe it's worth a shot._

Sinbad grinned, lifting one arm in a pathetic wave. "Ah, would you mind giving me a hand here? I'm a little… stuck."

The two stared.

* * *

-x-

* * *

Problems just seemed to be piling up.

Planning a robbery was difficult enough. Planning a robbery of a highly secured noble mansion while severely shorthanded even _with_ several magical tools at disposal wasn't much easier.

They had to work around the guards, place right people in the right positions, strike at the exactly right moment and make sure there were no casualties left behind in their wake. And as if that wasn't enough, the worth of Fan had dropped over a half in the past week alone. At this rate, no matter how much money they stole, it would all be for nothing.

 _But we don't have much of a choice. If only they could see—_

Only they wouldn't. No matter how many times Alibaba explained it, they wouldn't be able to see what the problem was until it smacked them in the face like a wet rag.

From the look of sheer panic on everybody's faces, it looked like the time had finally come.

" _Now_ what do we do? These dumb scraps of paper can't even get us a handful of rice!"

"Just gotta steal more, brother! We hit 'em where it hurts!"

"Say whatever you want, but three robberies in a night is impossible! We don't have enough people to pull shit like that!"

"We recruit then! Hell knows there are dozens just waiting to join at the doorstep!"

The worst of all, Alibaba knew, was that this guy was _right_. Approaching first person in the street and merely suggesting them to join the Fog Troupe would be met with elation that was downright terrifying. They'd gained members throughout the past few weeks for less.

But that was no solution. At this rate, they'd come to the point where there was nothing left to steal, at least nothing worth taking.

 _Ahbmad, what in the world are you doing?_

He had to do something. Kassim may have put him in charge of the Fog Troupe, but this was not just about the troupe anymore. Something had to be done, and quickly.

"That's enough!" Alibaba yelled, effectively silencing all the arguments, at least for the moment.

All eyes were on him now, which was just great.

He took a deep breath. Countless times, he'd tried to bring it to attention. But this was likely the last chance he'd get.

"Going after more nobles isn't going to fix anything. Even if we rob them clean, this situation isn't going to get any better. We have to approach this another way."

"What other way is there?" several members roared. Some appeared conflicted. Others retained their anger. Kassim glared.

 _No, you can't pull back now. They can tell it's hopeless. I just have to provide a solution. Any solution.  
_

"We reach out to the islands," Alibaba said. No sooner were the words out there, the protests started, from the usual _we don't want help_ and _we have to handle this ourselves_ to the less standard _what good will that do_ and _they turned their back on us_ , loudest of which took _none_ of those in consideration.

"Again with that shit?" Hassan snapped. "They cut themselves off from us. And now we're supposed to go to them and beg for help?"

Alibaba glanced over to Kassim, but he remained silent. Behind him, Zaynab looked as though she was giving the matter at least _some_ thought.

He released a shuddering breath. At least somebody seemed willing to hear him out. He couldn't give up.

"We're not going to beg anybody for anything," he said. There. Maybe that will quell that ridiculous pride they held. "But you can see as clearly as I can that stealing the Fan from the nobles will only make things worse."

"Steal the gold and change it for the Fan, same thing we—"

"No!" Alibaba snapped. "The only gold we're able to find at this point are plates, dinner sets, lamps and the like. And those aren't going to feed the people."

Silence. Turns out, that was much scarier than direct opposition. Because they were _listening_. Month after month after _month_ , only now were they actually listening.

He couldn't afford a single mistake. A single misstep. Or he might just lose them again.

"What we can do, however," Alibaba said, "is barter those for food rations."

Several oohs echoed from the gathered thieves.

Alibaba didn't think they understood, not really, that this was much easier said than done, because they needed people to go out there and negotiate, they needed what little funds they had to keep the people from starving and, most of all, they needed ships to transport them to the islands and then return with the food rations, something that would be almost impossible to pull right under the dock master's nose. And even with all of that, there was still the risk the islands may refuse to cooperate.

But at this point, they didn't have any other choice.

"Even if we do that," Kassim said, _oh finally_ , "people will still be hungry here and now."

Alibaba refused to let his knees buckle in relief. Kassim was listening. Finally, he too was actually listening. There was no going back anymore. He just had to make him see.

"That is why tonight, we go after Lord Asiem. And we hit him with everything we've got."

Several people bristled. Many glared his way.

Kassim's eyes widened a fraction.

Alibaba ignored the shudder that shook his shoulders. He knew what he was proposing was bad— _really_ bad. This was one of the things he'd been trying to talk people out of since the beginning. But here and now, this was the only option they had left and knowing who to hit and how hard was one thing he'd learned very, very well over the past six months.

"Going after the lesser nobles is all well and good, but if we target two in a night, we're dispersing our people too much," he went on. "Lord Asiem is a _hoarder_. We've let him off the hook because his manor is too well guarded, but if we rally the entire troupe, we have a chance. Do you understand? This is the opportunity we've been waiting for!"

A wave of energy spread through the group as whispers broke out. Kasim's glare only intensified, but he waited in silence.

A girl raised her hand tentatively. "What about the spies?"

"Yea!" the rest of the mob joined in quickly. "Somebody has been ratting us out!"

Alibaba took a deep breath. "There's not much we can do about that. But whoever it is, we know they aren't directly involved with us. Our best chance to get Lord Asiem unprepared is to keep the plans under wraps until it's too late to mobilize the guards. That means, nothing we plan out leaves this room until tonight."

"Or," Kassim proposed, "we spread _rumors_. If they think we're going to attack several places at once, it is them who'll be far too dispersed to handle the real threat."

Alibaba had to focus not to fall in relief. _You understand it! Kassim, you—_

"Oi, did you hear it? This can be done! Whoever spreads the rumors around, make sure they're contradictory. Can't have our targets know who we're gonna hit!"

Cheers broke through the crowd.

Alibaba let out a tired sigh. When it came down to it, no matter what he tried, Kassim would always be the true leader here. Alibaba was just a figurehead. A puppet. And that suited him just fine. Or at least he'd thought so. They were never going to be able to see eye-to-eye, he was well aware, but even as a figurehead, there were things he could do. Improve lives of people here through any means available, that was what he swore he'd do.

Except it felt like this was only delaying the inevitable.

"Kassim," he called. "About—"

"We'll discuss the islands later," his foster brother replied dismissively. "We have a robbery to plan."

Alibaba chose to pretend that the twinkle he saw in his eyes wasn't that of sadistic malice.

It was easier that way. Better for everybody as well.

"Yeah."

The room hadn't even begun emptying when the door slammed open, several raggedly dressed people breaking inside, covered in sweat.

"Alibaba, Kassim! We have a problem!"

 _Eh? What?_

"Come quickly!"

As it turned out when they reached the port, _problem_ was a bit of an understatement.

Among the numerous beaten and bruised men lying on the ground, among which Alibaba recognized several of the Fog Troupe's newer members, stood a boy, long purple hair tied behind his back, white clothes splattered with dry blood and his fists held out, sweat pouring down his face. Beside him, a girl, calm and composed, red eyes widening a fraction as they landed on Alibaba. And behind them—

"Alibaba!"

He didn't have the time to think. Just look up, reach out, catch—

"A-A-Aladdin?!"

 _This can't be._

Small arms wrapped tightly around his neck, locks of blue hair tickling his cheek.

"I knew that if I came here I'd be able to see you again!" the boy exclaimed, brilliant smile lighting up his young face as Alibaba placed him on the ground. From above him, the flying carpet wrapped until it was once again just simply a turban, and Alibaba stared, because just how in the world did he _miss it?_

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Alibaba?"

"Y-yeah." _Too long. I missed you. What are you doing here?_ But now wasn't the time for any of that.

Alibaba glanced back towards where Morgiana now had an undeniable hint of a smile on her face, the boy beside her glancing between her and Aladdin before finally relaxing his stance—and behind him and Morgiana, a little girl, no older than seven, with tear streaked cheeks and a small tattered bag clutched to her chest. Dressed far too well to be a child from the slums.

"Aladdin, what happened here?"

His little friend looked decidedly less happy.

"We were just trying to help," he said. "Those uncles tried to take her bag and she started crying. Sin tried asking what's wrong but then they tried to take Mor's bedrest and somehow everybody ended up getting involved…" he looked away sheepishly.

Alibaba shuddered. Nobody in their right mind would try to take _anything_ from Morgiana, but then again, they didn't see her running up the walls and kicking through rocks like it was no big deal. Even now, the girl looked none worse for the wear, while many of the battered down men were looking at her like an abomination of some sort. Ouch.

"Come on," Alibaba said, placing his hand on the top of the boy's turban and looking at Morgiana. "We need a place to talk."

She nodded, stepping over the men she'd knocked out without even a glance. The strange purple haired boy glanced at Alibaba as if in search of approval. At the briefest of nods, he shrugged and followed, tugging the tiny girl along.

Alibaba took in sight of the port, numerous men beaten around and double the spectators that had gathered, wincing at the sight of one of the guards with a dark bruise on his cheek and blood running down his chin, until his eyes found Kassim. Oh, he was going to regret this later, that he was so completely sure of, but these were Aladdin and Morgiana and he couldn't just leave them, especially not after something like this.

"I trust you to handle this, okay?"

"Eh, wha—"

"Thanks a lot, Kassim! Come on, Aladdin, Morgiana! Follow me!"

* * *

"So there's no way for me to catch a ship from here to Parthevia, huh?" Sinbad mused.

His hands closed around the wooden mug and he glanced down at its contents, his reflection staring back. Across him, Alibaba and Aladdin shared a look, before both focused back on Sinbad. Beside him, Morgiana tensed, likely worried herself.

In all honesty, that wasn't as much of a surprise as he'd expected it would be. She'd mentioned earlier that she'd heard that from Balbadd, you could catch a ship anywhere, but he found that a little hard to believe. Alibaba quickly dissuaded them from those ideas.

"Trade with Parthevia has been under strains long before things got this bad," he admitted, head bowed down and his voice laced with an emotion that sounded an awful lot like guilt. "Currently, the only ships that leave from here are headed to Kou and its allied countries. If you really need to get to Parthevia quickly, the best option would be to try your luck through Aktia. Even so, it would probably take a month at the least."

 _A month, huh?_

A month too long. Ever since he'd made his way out of the dungeon, he'd been smacked in the face with surprise after another. Aladdin had been elated to find out he'd just run into another Dungeon Clearer, as if dungeons were something every other person had a chance to visit, and neither he nor Morgiana thought it to be particularly odd that he'd landed back on the wrong continent. As a matter of fact, Aladdin himself claimed he'd went through the same ordeal when he'd landed in the middle of the Kouga territory.

 _Are dungeons really so widespread in the world that even a kid like Aladdin sees them as nothing out of the ordinary?_

The notion seemed ridiculous. Reim and Parthevia had been fighting over Baal's dungeon enough to appoint entire armies with the sole purpose to clear them. People claimed this was the first time such a structure had appeared in the world. Yet apparently having a metal vessel, as Aladdin had called it, seemed like nothing out of the ordinary in Balbadd.

Well, granted, Aladdin himself wasn't from Balbadd, but the friend he'd been out to find certainly was. And Alibaba was, according to Aladdin at least, a Dungeon Capturer himself.

"I'm going to look into it," Alibaba said. "Supposedly, there are still some ships on the islands smuggling their goods to Sindria. If we could negotiate with them, we could get you on their ships. From Sindria you can catch a ship to Parthevia easily, though it'd take longer. It's a month sailing just to get there." He gave Morgiana an important look. "You could probably find a ship heading for the Dark Continent, too."

The girl nodded, but from the look in her eyes, it didn't look like she was simply going to accept that without question.

Alibaba noticed none of it.

"Aladdin, you'd probably be better off going with them, too," he said. "I'm sorry. I know I promised that we'll go adventuring together, but…" he hesitated, fists clenched tight. "Balbadd right now… isn't a safe place to stay."

The tiny little smile that had been present on Aladdin's face from the moment he'd first seen his friend fell. "Is it because the guards are just as likely to be mean as thugs?"

Alibaba winced. "Well, there's that too. But really, this…" He shook his head.

All the drinks they'd ordered remained on the table, untouched.

Aladdin and Morgiana seemed to be willing to wait for as long as it took for him to get his thoughts in order. Sinbad was a little less patient.

"It's because Balbadd is in the middle of an internal strife, isn't it?" he asked. At the slight widening of eyes, he continued, "On the way here, we ran into some writings on the walls. Down with the monarchy, they said. And it's bad enough that grown men would try to steal bits of food from a lost child… Even if she was a noble, that was going too far."

"Yeah, things have been getting out of hand. Especially lately." Alibaba swallowed thickly, before looking up to face Sinbad. "You… Aladdin mentioned you conquered a dungeon, right? Try not to use any of the coins you got. Most people here can't accept it anyway."

"What do you mean?"

Alibaba pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and laid it out on the table between them. "This is a Fan. It's what we use to pay for things such as food and service, here. Well, it's practically worthless compared to even copper coins, but chances are you'll get in a lot of trouble if you use anything else. Though trying to trade silver and gold coins for these is likely to get you in even more trouble."

Sinbad blanched. "Then what do we do? We don't have anything else."

Realizing nobody else seemed to understand the problem, he glanced at Aladdin, then Morgiana.

The boy grinned. "Well, I don't think I have any coins on me anyway."

"It's okay," Morgiana said. "I have several. We can share."

"Oh, really? Thanks, Mor!"

Both seemed utterly oblivious to the two wide-eyed pairs of eyes watching them.

Alibaba's mouth open and closed several times, before he found his voice. "Wait, Aladdin. Did you just say that you made your way across the desert without even a single coin on your person?"

"Yeah! Well, those slave trades kind of gave me a ride half way… and Baba was really kind, the people from the Kouga village never asked for anything…"

" _Slave traders_?"

"Ah, I didn't mention that? Mor really helped me with that one… Thanks again, Mor."

The girl tilted her head. "It was no problem."

Alibaba paled even while amusement and an odd sense of pride replaced Sinbad's initial shock. He chuckled. "Eh, seems like you've had plenty of adventures already."

The boy grinned sheepishly. "I guess. But I'm really happy, now that we're here together. I was really hoping we could… well…" he trailed off, the wistful look he directed at Alibaba making it perfectly clear what exactly he'd wanted to say. And from the slump of his shoulders, Alibaba understood it perfectly.

 _Why does he look so… guilt ridden?_

Sinbad cleared his throat. "Well, as things are, we can't really go anywhere. Alibaba, is there a way we can earn some Fan here? For example guarding caravans or maybe fishing? I know I don't look it, but I'm good at both of those!"

Aladdin nodded urgently. "Yeah, is there? I never did any of that, but I wonder if I can be of any help."

"Don't worry!" Sinbad pulled the boy in a one-armed hug. "I have plenty of experience with the sea. I'll teach you all the tricks you need to know!"

Morgiana's eyes twinkled. "I… um… if… if you're willing to have me, I'd like to offer my assistance as well," she mumbled. Blinked, when Aladdin stood up urgently enough to knock his chair over and grasped both her hands, brilliant smile lighting up his face.

"Of course! Mor is amazing! With your help, I'm sure we'll be able to catch loads of fish!"

Her lips tugged into a tiny smile, cheeks dusted in rosy color.

Sinbad glanced at Alibaba, whose jaw had at some point decided to drop all the way to the floor. "You guys are planning to _stay_?" he stuttered.

"Well, naturally. Does it look like we have anywhere else to go?" Sinbad scratched the top of his nose, planting both his elbows on the table. Why would he be so surprised about that? Morgiana alone was capable of taking care of them all. Then again, Alibaba didn't see her kick all those greedy men around. Well, even so, Aladdin had made it all the way across the desert on his own, too and Sinbad was pretty confident in his skills to stay in one piece no matter what happened. He had just conquered a dungeon after all, and everybody's reactions, while a little lackluster, still made it clear that wasn't a feat looked down upon.

 _He's worried. Rightfully so._

Well, with the city in dire state as it was, he couldn't blame him, but they were all perfectly capable of taking care of themselves.

Alibaba looked from one to another uncertainly. "Ah, well, that's true, but—"

"Besides, we're all pretty resourceful. We'll blend in here no problem, isn't that right, Aladdin, Morgiana?"

"Yeah!"

Sinbad made a sweeping gesture and wiggled his eyebrows as if to ask, _well, what do you say?_

Alibaba hung his head and gritted his teeth. Barely audible, he mumbled, "Fine."

What could go wrong, anyway?


	2. Who needs a job anyway

And I am back with chapter 2! In which Alibaba's life is needlessly complicated, Morgiana is the only one responsible and Sinbad is up to his usual shenanigans.

At least nothing is blowing up. Yet.

* * *

Being a thief was so much worse when he knew there were friends waiting on him to come back.

Alibaba should've just told them to scram.

 _There's no way I could've done that._

Even ignoring the fact that all of them were just children, they were friends and there was no way he would _ever_ let them run around Balbadd all alone with everything that was going on. Aladdin was always so energetic and curious and bright and Morgiana could be a little scary, but she had a kind heart. Even Sin, with his penchant for flair and dramatics, was a friendly kid. He couldn't leave them alone in a city where violent outbursts happened on hourly basis.

In theory, he could have and _should_ have told them to get out of there, get out of Balbadd and leave him alone because, _damn it_ , this was his problem and his problem alone.

How could he, though, when confronted with that brilliant smile and inquiring mind?

 _"I wonder what kind of a place Balbadd is!"_

Poor.

Violent.

Dying.

Six months ago, Balbadd had been overcome with pain, misery and crime. With every new day, things somehow always got _worse_.

And Alibaba too, right along with it.

Half an hour ago, he'd been _happy_ that the raid on the Asiem's manor had gone off without a hitch.

Sure, the guards caught on soon enough and a fight broke out, but they still flinched whenever Alibaba showed up, shivered from the threat of magic they couldn't fight with a lance, metal armor and shield, and retreated whenever he brought the flames out before Kassim or Hassan could hurt somebody for real.

But they were getting used to it.

Another couple weeks and some fool would try to fight him in earnest and Alibaba couldn't let that happen. But at this rate, there wasn't much he could do to stop it.

To think that he'd been relieved at the heist that ended with only several bruises and tons of stolen gold and silver trinkets.

In the warmth of his tiny rundown house that now accommodated more people, he felt like he didn't belong. The black sheep. The darkness to a light that didn't deserve this sort of life.

Weak. Pathetic.

 _Why did I ever agree to this?_

Alibaba blew the candle out, but in the dead of the night, the moon was bright enough so could still see everything clearly.

Three new additions in his home had made themselves comfortable under the covers on his tiny little bed. Morgiana looked almost like a kitten curled in the corner, Sin's legs were half hanging off and Aladdin had somehow managed to squeeze in between and leave enough space for Alibaba to wiggle in.

None of them so much as stirred when he'd accidentally bumped into the table.

Really, he should've shooed them away.

 _Don't be stupid._

Aladdin had been so excited to talk about his adventures with the Kouga, Kou's princess with a Djinn and the caravan. Morgiana had a story of her own to tell, about the slave traders and how she found Aladdin among them, after fighting off so many tigers (Tigers? _Tigers?!_ and good lord, Aladdin, just how did you end up with the _slave traders_?), but she was still holding back so much and that tiny subdued smile at the end made his heart swell with pride.

And Sin, another dungeon conqueror, with an experience so uncanny that it was almost eerie and a tale so familiar that it wasn't even funny.

 _No. That, you'll think about tomorrow. Kassim's gonna be here in three hours for that talk too… ahhh, another sleepless night._

He sank down and leaned against the bed.

Although it was so inviting, he couldn't join. Wouldn't.

Besides, he'd have to get up way before sunrise. Wouldn't be fair to wake them up by accident.

* * *

To think that a whole night's rest and then some wouldn't be enough to get rid of the ache in his shoulders… Sinbad stretched, relishing in the slight relief it brought.

Aladdin and Morgiana had already finished packing up and were now just waiting on him, while Alibaba sat on the bed, blank look off in a distance, his head occasionally lulling until it snapped back up.

"Sin, come on!" Aladdin called.

"Yeah, yeah!"

He swallowed the last piece of orange that was left on the table, then secured his father's sword at his hip, just in case.

 _Well, it's Baal's sword now, huh._

He'd called himself the Djinn of Wrath and Heroes, pretty neat for a giant lizardman living in the ruins of an ancient city. Sin wondered how an ancient city with cliffs and geysers and dragons in its surroundings could even exist within a single tower. The place didn't look that big.

 _Maybe I could ask Yunan when I get home._

Come to think of it, how was he supposed to use his powers? Baal never actually mentioned anything about that, and Yunan especially had been very cryptic about the whole thing. Would he just pull the sword out and get some really cool sword skills?

 _Now that'd be awesome!_

"Sin!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

He almost crashed right into the kid when the boy tried to sneak a peek back inside. Aladdin tilted his head. Sin followed his look and found Alibaba on the verge of falling asleep. _Again_.

"Alibaba, you're not coming?" Aladdin asked.

He blinked.

"Uh, I'm really sorry." A yawn. "I know I said I was going to help you find work…"

The boy shook his head in earnest. "You've done enough, Alibaba… you brought all that delicious food and you let us stay and sleep in your bed… and it was really comfy, by the way!"

Sin's shoulders ached.

Alibaba blushed. Before he could respond, Aladdin continued, a bright smile lighting up his face. "It wouldn't be fair to ask of you to find work for us, too, when you already have so much to do yourself. Besides, you'll join us later, right?"

When he said it like that, it was difficult, no, _impossible_ , to tell him no. Alibaba looked away, head lowered just the slightest bit, as his lips stretched into something that only vaguely resembled a smile. "Yeah."

It disappeared a moment later, replaced by something much more genuine. "Take care of them, Morgiana. You're the only one trust not to get in trouble."

"Hey!"

Aladdin laughed.

From behind them, definitely where Morgiana _hadn't_ been a moment ago, a soft, "Yes," sounded.

Sinbad was proud to say he didn't jump. Quite.

"Let's go, Mor, Sin! There's so much that we have to see!"

Sinbad glanced one more time at the sword at his hip.

He really hoped this time he wouldn't have to use it.

Belatedly, he realized the two were already well on their way. _Crap, gotta hurry—!_ It wasn't _his_ fault they wore no shoes!

Before he could follow after them, Alibaba's hand fell on his shoulder, rooting him to the spot.

 _Eh? When did he—_

He now also looked very much awake.

"Look, Sin," he started, voice low but cutting. "I don't know what it is that you're trying to do, but I know those stories. I know _everything_ about Sinbad's Adventures. And so does everybody else. It's only a coincidence that Aladdin and Morgiana haven't heard them yet. So while I don't really want to get involved with your little performance, I'd appreciate it if you didn't lie to them. They're kind and honest and trusting and they don't deserve to be played like that."

With that, he strolled away to whatever he'd been wanting to do in the first place.

Aladdin's call snapped Sinbad out of the stunned silence. "Come on, let's go!"

"Ah, yeah…"

There was just something about the way Alibaba had said it. Not a threat, not exactly. But there had been an underlying warning there.

 _But I didn't lie about anything?_

No, not that he remembered. If anything, he'd been more honest about everything that happened than he'd ever dare to be in front of his mother. Sure, that was mostly because it involved a giant dragon and he didn't want to make her worry even _more_ , but still.

 _And Sinbad's Adventures? I wonder what that's all about…_

"Come on, let's go to the port!" Aladdin said. "I wonder if we'll be able to find a job quickly. Alibaba said work is hard to come by…"

Sinbad grinned. He'd worry about that later. "We'll manage somehow."

It was only once they were already well down by the docks that he remember why he'd been lagging back in the first place.

 _Ah, crap. I totally forgot to ask Alibaba about how Djinn worked…_

Gotta remember that for later.

"Say, say, see that old man over there? Let's go ask him if we can help him with the fishing!"

Besides, they had other stuff to do.

* * *

 _A week later_

"Sorry, we don't need people right now."

Aladdin's spirit sunk like it'd been doused with a bucket of ice cold water. Dozen upon dozen times they'd asked the question, and the answers still hadn't changed.

Sin patted his back and shook his head, and Aladdin knew that was just his way of saying not to press the issue.

After a week and countless similar replies, Aladdin didn't think he had the strength to try.

They sat down in the shade made by the discarded shipping boxes, equally sullen. Morgiana passed the water around, but compared to Sin who gulped on it like he hadn't drank anything in days, Aladdin could only stomach a gulp.

Sin returned the water and wiped his mouth, then took a breath.

"We need another plan."

"Agreed. But Alibaba said finding of any kind work won't be easy," Morgiana said.

All three slumped.

After that disastrous first day, it had been difficult to argue that fact. Sin had managed to charm one of the inn owners to let them wash the dishes, but given how few tourists came around Balbadd these days, there wasn't much work to be done. What little they'd earned hadn't been enough to cover a cost of one meal, and the prices at the stands only seemed be going up.

Alibaba had tried to help, too, by going around with them and asking for assistance from people who really seemed to respect him for some reason, but other than an occasional cleaning duty, dishwashing or helping out at an inn, they couldn't find much else. What little they earned couldn't cover half the food expenses and it always fell on Alibaba to provide meals for all of them. They'd get kicked out fast enough, too, with sweet apologies and smiles that never quite reached the eyes.

"Alibaba is avoiding us," Morgiana said, breaking the silence.

Sin glanced up from where he'd been lost in thought. "Eh? Really?"

Aladdin nodded. "But I'm sure he's just busy. He has to work so much just to bring food for all of us, it's not like he can come along with us to explore whenever he wants…"

He resisted on mentioning that he didn't really like exploring Balbadd all that much. Whenever they got to hear something new, it was usually sad news. But this was Alibaba's hometown and even if he wasn't there with them right now, it would be mean to say it.

Not to mention all the black rukh flying around. Before he'd come to Balbadd, he didn't even know such a thing existed.

 _And they seem so sad._

"The situation in this city… well, it's bad," Sin said. When Aladdin looked up, he went on to explain. "Well, you see, it doesn't seem like any of the fishermen bothered going to the open sea for a while now. That old man said most of them even sold their boats to cover the taxes. The few people from the caravans that passed through didn't seem to want to trade here at all and they were really heavily guarded. And the the inns and hotels, even the most exclusive ones, have more than enough people working there, but no visitors."

"Too much violence," Morgiana added. "Most of it at night. But that fruit vendor got hassled by the guards in broad daylight."

"Yes." Sin nodded. "All that tells me is that it's the government causing the problems. It's different, but… well, it's very similar to how things used to be in my village."

"Really?" Aladdin wondered. "What is your village like?" Other than the fact he was from Parthevia, Sin hadn't talked much about his life before the dungeon.

Morgiana, on the other hand, seemed to have caught onto something else.

"Used to be?" she asked.

The older boy hesitated for a moment. "Well, it's a long story," he said. "My country is always fighting some kind of a war, anyway. They just picked to fight a losing battle and it was the citizens who had to pay the high taxes to help the soldiers. There was also a lot of unwilling army recruitment happening. Those who didn't go got ostracized pretty badly."

"But it stopped eventually?" Aladdin asked. He really hoped it did, because that sounded really cruel, but Sin didn't look very happy.

He shrugged. "Not really, no. It got a little better in my village, but all the other villages nearby had it pretty bad."

"How?" Morgiana asked.

"Yes! How?" Aladdin piped in. "How did it get better? Maybe that could help improve things here too!"

"The villagers rioted." The smile on Sin's face looked more sad than anything. "It didn't really work out for the best, but things improved a little. Well, I don't think it would work here, though. Tison was a small community. Balbadd is huge. But even more than that, many people here still have it good enough. They won't be willing to take that kind of risk, not while they have a roof above their heads and warm food on the table."

"And those who would try already gave up hope just trying to live day-by-day," Morgiana supplied.

Aladdin gulped. "That's… so sad." His hand drifted to the flute hanging around his neck.

He really wanted to call Ugo out. Ugo was really clever, maybe he'd have an advice or an idea that they haven't thought of yet, if not how to help the city, then maybe at least to help them find work.

But Alibaba and Morgiana both warned him that doing that where everyone could see would be troublesome. And that one time he'd tried anyway, Ugo had done his best to help carry the weights around and yet everybody looked so upset.

Aladdin sunk even more. It wasn't fair. It wasn't _Ugo's_ fault he was a Djinn.

"We need to approach this another way," Sin said.

"What do you suggest?" Morgiana asked.

"Yeah… we tried everything," Aladdin added. "Even that lady from the inn thinks they won't have much work for another few weeks."

Sin looked from him to Morgiana, then scratched the back of his head. "Well, there is one thing we haven't tried."

Aladdin frowned. Maybe cooking, but aside from that, they tried everything… What more could they do? But Morgiana must've caught on to Sin's idea, if that tiny frown was anything to judge by.

"Didn't Alibaba say they were the ones at fault for what's happening in the city?" she asked

Sin shrugged. "Yes, but do we have any other options left? I don't like the idea that much, but especially if the rumors going around are true, then maybe it's worth a try."

"So what do we do, then?" Aladdin asked.

Sin grinned.

* * *

The first section looked more like a chic living room than the royal bedchamber. Lofty, overly bright and palatial, it would've looked much better if the curtains had been pushed aside to allow the rays of setting sun to brighten it instead of the numerous candles.

Well, they released a pleasant scent, so that was a plus.

Another curtain separated what was the true bedchamber however, area a degree darker but equally impressive in design. The bed especially was impressive in size, with multiple pillows doted in complicated and beautiful drawings. Everything else, though… Kougyoku scrunched her nose. _Too much silk._

And why was it all orange and red?

She let out a sigh.

"Princess?" Ka Koubun was at her side immediately. "Are you satisfied with our lodging?"

Kougyoku smiled darkly. That sure was one way to call it.

Ah, whatever. She'd get her chance to redecorate it. Not that it was a very comforting thought.

 _No. Don't be that way. Brothers En and Mei asked this of me, I'm going to do it right._

 _I really hope that King Ahbmad is at least good looking._

"It's fine," she said. Tried to convince herself, more like. "Tell me, Ka Koubun, we haven't been in this place for a total of one hour, have we?"

"Um… no, my princess. I'm certain it's only been half that long."

"I suspected as much. So, I don't suppose you would know where our dear little Judar managed to drift off to in such a brief time."

Her attendant gulped. "I'll… look for him immediately. It wouldn't do for our High Priest get into trouble immediately upon arrival."

"Yes, you do that," Kougyoku said. "But just in case he's up to something _entertaining_ , don't forget to invite me."

"A-ah… yes, Princess…"

It was, after all, well known what the Eighth Imperial Princess of Kou considered entertaining.

* * *

"Huh? You think you three could do _anything_ to fight off those filthy thugs?"

Beady eyes scanned him from head to toe, condescending in a way that would've made Sinbad's insides twitch if he weren't trying his best to keep smiling. The eyes moved onto Aladdin, who tried hard to look strong and courageous and someone to be feared, but failed utterly. Finally, they settled on Morgiana, about as dismissively as could've been expected. A moment later they focused on her again, widening a margin.

 _A-ha! We got you now!_

"I assure you, o great sir, we're strong." Sinbad looked not-so-subtly in Morgiana's direction, something the noble easily caught on.

 _Sorry, Mor, but you're our only chance. Nobody's gonna take a group of kids seriously._

 _But a Fanalis…_

All things considered, she hadn't been all too impressed.

 _I'll make it up to you, I promise!_

Even if he did have to go fishing in the dead of night, without a net, or a boat, just to give her an extra fish for dinner. She maybe didn't notice it herself, but her eyes twinkled a little every single time she took a bite and he didn't feel the slightest bit bad about using that to pacify her.

Although the way that filthy noble looked at her like she was some sort of a valuable trinket he absolutely needed to get his hands on made him want to scrap the idea, punch the guy in that ugly overweight face and get out of there anyway. Morgiana maybe was a girl, but she was strong and she was a Fanalis and she didn't deserve to be looked at like some sort of a money bag. Nobody did.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to test you out," the man said. "Take your posts for today. If anyone complains about you once, you scram. Rules clear, brats?"

"Perfectly, o great sir! Thank you very much!"

The moment he was gone, Morgiana fixed him with a stare.

Sin held his hands out in silent prayer, head bowed, while he invested all his efforts into ignoring the chill that went down his back.

" _Sorry!_ "

"I do wish to help," she said, "but I don't like that man."

"Me either, but look at it this way. We're working _with_ him, not for him."

Aladdin coughed. "I'm not sure he thinks that way."

Sinbad tensed, but then waved his hand with a smirk. "It doesn't matter. He promised enough money to get us food for several days if we do our job right, double if we get rid of any thieves that might come. But honestly, if that's the sum the guards get paid every night, I'm not surprised they're desperate to keep the jobs."

Morgiana looked up at the sky, frowning as the last signs of sunlight disappeared behind the extravagant buildings.

"We're going to make Alibaba worry," Aladdin noted.

She hummed.

Sin hung each of his arms around their shoulders. "We'll explain everything in the morning. I'm sure it'll be fine! Next time we'll just get him to come along."

Aladdin sighed. Morgiana tensed just the slightest bit at that 'next time' part.

"Oh, fine, I'll think of something else," he mumbled.

She smiled.

Several hours, two arguments and what felt like an unhealthy amount of time spent inhaling smoke, Sinbad found himself caught up in the middle of a game with one of the elder guards, sweating bullets. _Again_.

Beside him, Aladdin covered a giggle.

"What'd ya say, eh, boy? My eyes and ears may be ancient, but I'm sure I've heard you mention you'd get a hang of this. Doesn't look that way to me."

Sinbad rolled the dice again, groaning as he hit another white-red combo. He moved his last pawn to take up the last open square while his opponent snickered. Of course he would. He had only two more of his pawns he needed to get off the board. Sinbad had _five_.

"I'll learn eventually," he insisted. After the fifth try, he did finally have the hang of the game. Now if only the dices would roll _right_.

"Pffft, the Royal Game of Ur takes more than half a dozen tries to truly understand and appreciate. But you're good, I'll give you that."

The elderly guard, naturally, got the triple red, then got another one of his pawns far and away from the intricately designed board. One of his and five of Sin's pawns left.

Sinbad sighed. He never once thought that outnumbering his opponent in that weird board game would be that bad of a thing. This was borderline embarrassing.

"Thank you for the compliment," he mumbled. Oh. Triple-white. _Finally_.

"See?" The old man laughed, not for the first time, the motion only catching more of Sin's attention because of the scar on his cheek. "Took me years before I learned to play it right. Some crazy youth from Heliohapt taught me. Came all the way here in search for a friend, he said. Well, that was twenty years ago, I'm sure you don't care about such stories anyway."

Sinbad shrugged. "I love all sorts of stories. You said this person was from Heliohapt? Would you mind telling me more? This is the first time I heard of that place. What's it like?"

The old man burst out laughing. "You're in Balbadd and it's the first you hear of Heliohapt? You're one interesting boy."

Behind him, Morgiana sniffed the air. Both Sinbad and Aladdin turned after her when she approached the wide open balcony.

"Mor?"

"There's something in the air," she said. Sniffed. Grimaced. "Don't breathe it in."

Aladdin and Sinbad had enough sense to obey the instruction immediately. Many of the guards present didn't.

One of the guards stationed outside slammed the door wide open, effectively getting the entirety of the group to jump to their feet. "Sir, they're here, the Fog Troupe—" He fell down to his knees first, then right on his nose, sound asleep.

One after another, remaining guards began to collapse.

Sinbad and Aladdin over one shoulder and the elderly soldier still struggling to stay awake over the other, Morgiana jumped to the balcony and then up, dumping them all on on the roof the moment she was sure they were out of range of the whatever the substance in the air it had been.

"They're here," she said.

Sinbad and Aladdin stood on either of her sides, eyes focused on the slowly advancing group still hidden deep within the shadows of Balbadd's naturally mist-ridden nights. Several dozen, all armed and ready to fight.

Aladdin gripped onto his flute tightly.

Sinbad's hand hung close to the hilt of his sword, fingers itching to grab the hilt, but it was too early for that. _Wait until you can see them all._

"You don't look surprised," Morgiana noted.

"I've heard some rumors here and there. Hoped they'd be wrong. Do you think we can take them?"

Her eyes reflected the bits of moonlight. "I think I'll be able myself."

"Yeah, well, just in case they do have magic tools, Aladdin and I will guard your back."

"Thank you."

They began to emerge from the shadows, the leader, followed by what looked like three closest henchmen, and the remainder of the group trailing behind. Sinbad unsheathed his father's sword, grip on the hilt tight. There were more people than he'd expected, just the sign that things were likely worse than he could've understood by simply spending a week in that place.

 _We won't let you in,_ he promised.

Beside him, Morgiana gasped.

"This scent—!"

* * *

 _The Royal Game of Ur_ is actually a real board game that used to be played in many places from Egypt to India several thousand years BC (3000-2000, depends on the source), but was also played in Babylon and Mesopotamia. Two player game, each player gets seven pawns, that they need to get on the board by rolling the dice (well, three of them) that were shaped kind of like pyramids. Each has two red and two white sides. Triple white or red - you need them to get the pawn on the board (then later when you finish the go-around to get them off the board) and they give you the right to take another turn during the game. Double white - you skip a turn. One white - you get to move the pawn by one square.

The winner is the player who gets all their pawns through the board and off it first.

When googling it I ran into one of the pics of the board and it looked really nice. The squares all looked unique and some even had some very complicated rosette drawn (I think there were five or six of them, I'm not sure) and apparently every pawn is unique.

It's very much like Mensch ärgere Dich nicht, a German board game, except here more than two people can play plus the goal is to get the pawn in a base—so to speak. I'm not sure how well it's known in the rest of the world, but it was damn popular in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

P.S. Sorry for the cliffie. (Nah, not at all :P)


	3. Thugs, magi and unruly kings

It's all fun and games until Judar gets bored!

* * *

 _Maybe I should've stayed home._

Okay, that wasn't exactly fair, Alibaba decided. Maybe it would've been better if he hadn't gotten out of bed at all. He wouldn't have had to deal with all the attention he'd been given in the slums all of a sudden. Or Kassim dragging him into a heist he hadn't actually planned for. Nor would he have to confront those innocent eyes.

 _Damn it, damn it, damn it. Why are you here? Why would you be here?_

The Fog Troupe halted at his call, but they were twitchy, reaching for their weapons and not exactly happy to see a group of children standing in the way to their fortunes. What's worse, Kassim seemed to have put the pieces together. There was no way he wouldn't recognize the group of kids that had kicked several of his crew's asses on their arrival. No matter how ignorant the new guys were of the ways the Fog Troupe operated.

They were the Fog Troupe and the Fog Troupe stuck together.

Though Kassim really ought to pick the new members better. Give it a few weeks and they'd be outnumbered by the shady guys. Alibaba shuddered merely at the thought.

Morgiana's intense eyes never left him, not for a moment, a reminder he had more important things to worry about compared to Kassim's end goals. One look into the eyes of a Fanalis and he knew. No mask could protect him when she could see, hear and _smell_ the fear radiating off him.

Voice steady and controlled, she paid no attention whatsoever to the numerous armed thugs behind him.

"What are you doing, Alibaba?"

He gulped.

 _She_ may not care, but they remembered what she'd done the other day, especially those new guys Alibaba would have preferred not to have joined at all. Violent blokes like that wouldn't take her for granted, if for a moment they found her to be a threat. And right now, she was going _way_ out of her way to become one.

And as they landed beside her, as though they hadn't picked up on the clues whatsoever, her companions stared. First at Morgiana, then at the Troupe members.

"Eh? Seriously?! He's here?"

Aladdin glanced between her and each member of the Troupe he could see with a puzzled look. "Alibaba is here? Where? Alibaba?"

 _No. Don't call out to me. Let me pretend, just for a moment…_

Pair of golden eyes met Alibaba's own and Sin blinked.

Aladdin found him a moment later. Gasped.

 _… crap._

Alibaba swallowed thickly and gathered his wits. Sure, maybe he hadn't counted on this, but he knew he'd had to confront them eventually. Though he really would've preferred it if that eventually had been _after_ he'd managed to fix his country.

Steeling himself, he ripped the mask from his face and stepped out. "I'll take care of this. You go on ahead."

Kassim knew better than to argue, but that look he gave him expressed exactly how highly he thought of Alibaba's attempt at damage control. _I'm in for a mess, aren't I?_

"You heard the boss. We're gonna plow through anything in our way!"

"Aye!"

 _Please get out of their way, please just get out of here, we can talk this through—_

Sin fell into a stance that oozed confidence, eyes never leaving Alibaba. "I hope you don't mind if I give your men a bit of a beating. And Mor? It's fine. I can handle this on my own. You and Aladdin don't need to get involved."

Damn it, Sin. What the hell was he doing?

"Well, looks like your little friend likes to talk smack, huh, boss?" Alibaba really didn't like the dark expression that crossed Kassim's face. "Hope you don't mind we show him exactly who's in charge here."

 _Now_ what was he supposed to say? No, and what little of their loyalty he'd gained over the past months would evaporate, just like that. He'd already threaded the line multiple times—one more and he'd lose all the credibility he'd struggled so hard to build.

 _But if I agree…_

Hassan cracked his knuckles.

Alibaba mentally kicked himself. Approve of this, and he'd never be able to live with himself.

"If there's anyone we should be picking fights with, it's the noble inside," he ground out. _Aladdin, please don't give me that look, I can explain._ But not now. Breathing under control, he gave the group the iciest look he could. "Sin, I'd appreciate it if you'd stand down and take Aladdin and Morgiana with you, before somebody got hurt."

The younger boy looked momentarily conflicted, and it sparked a flame of hope. Morgiana was responsible, after all. If Sin chose to stand down and leave without a fight, then surely—

The ground under Morgiana's foot _shattered_.

The entirety of the group flinched. Sin squeaked. And her eyes narrowed, though only the slightest bit.

"I'm not going. Until we find out what is going on, I'm not moving a step from this place. And I... will not let any of you pass."

As far as threats went, Alibaba decided, that one did a good job at keeping the Troupe rooted to the spot.

Aladdin bravely took the first step forward, both hands gripping onto Ugo's flute. "What's happening, Alibaba? Why are you with the Fog Troupe? Didn't Mor say that you gave everything to free those slaves back in Quishan? Why would you help the thieves here? I want to know. I want to understand."

"You won't understand squat if you keep defending that filthy bastard stuffing his face inside," Kassim snapped, brandishing that obsidian blade of his. "I'll say it one more time. Get out of our way, or I'll do it instead."

Alibaba barely caught the slight curve of Sin's lip. A challenge.

"Personally, I don't like that old noble much, but a deal is a deal. So how about no?"

He met Kassim's blade in a shower of sparks.

The speed at which he moved proved he had skill to back up all that silly talk and the eight point star embedded in the blade gave credence to his claim that he was a Dungeon Conqueror as well. _But that stance…_

Alibaba cringed as Kassim threw the boy off balance in one swift move. _That's not how you parry, Sin, not against that kind of a weapon!_

Even so, the younger boy recovered, gripping onto his sword like he would a stick. Brows furrowed in concentration, he muttered something in his chin. And Kassim… there was no mistake, this time he would definitely go in for the kill. _Oh no, if you do that—_

"Wait, Kassim!"

Too little, too late. The blade oozed of that dark essence as Kassim lunged, black mist beginning to form as the blades clashed with enough strength to produce sparks. Sparks that hindered Kassim's magic, Alibaba realized, but one more try, that was all it would take.

He moved before he could think.

Because even if he met that _somehow_ , which would be crazy enough on its own, Sin couldn't hold his own against somebody more experienced with a normal weapon, and magic tools weren't normal, not by a long shot—

Sin's sword clanked as it landed on the ground.

Kassim groaned as a fist sunk deep in his abdomen, the obsidian blade safely passing over the Parthevian youth's shoulder.

Or maybe not, Alibaba realized, eyes falling on the thin trail of blood on the boy's neck.

"You," Kassim growled, while Sin rushed to put more distance between them, picking off his discarded weapon with a look that distinctly resembled hurt.

 _What?_

Regardless, he might as well had been picking the lion's den. Kassim had a bad temper on a good day and Sin seemed to be ruffling all his feathers just by breathing. And that black mist wasn't just there for the heck of it, no matter how much Alibaba would love it be. At this rate, there was no way they were getting out of here without somebody getting hurt.

"Eh, eh, look at that, the brat ain't half bad. Fifty on the boss." Hassan pouted when Zaynab pushed his bill away and smacked him.

"You're wasting time! _Move it._ "

That only seemed to put Morgiana on edge. Pushing Aladdin half a step back, she fell into a stance that promised pain, lots of it, if one only gave her opportunity to land a hit. And knowing Morgiana, she would.

 _Oh this is bad, this is really bad, I have to stop them. I have to do something! But what do I—?_

Sin might've been holding out for now, for those sparks whatever they were, they were keeping the black mist away, but Kassim was just toying with him. The moment he realized just how many openings there were, Kassim would take them without a second thought.

 _I have no other choice._

"Amon!"

A wall of fire forced Sin and Kassim apart, and Zaynab to draw back before she could start anything. The tiny proud smile fell from Aladdin's face when he realized that the power hadn't been meant to put an end to this entire situation, not in Sin's favor, anyway.

 _I'm sorry, but with this Kassim and his group can move and I can get you out of here before—_

A body dropped from the sky; long black braid settling from the rush of wind, loose pants hanging around thin waist, gleaming rings of gold around his arms and throat.

Where the fire had disappeared moments ago, now stood an owner of two very red, very eerie eyes, surveying the people present one by one with intended slowness and hint of mirth.

 _Where in the world did he come from?_

"Aw, and here I was hoping for a good show." The crimson gaze found Alibaba, hard and sharp, sending ice cold chills down his back. "But you decided to ruin it. Which reminds me, with you I have a bone to pick."

 _Me?_ He'd never run into this man, not even by accident, and those eyes glinted with the kind of emotion that'd doubtlessly stalk him in his nightmares.

"I was willing to let it go if you provided some entertainment in this boring ass place, but of course not. With that weakass magoi I wasn't expecting much, but to see you get in the way of a good brawl," the stranger growled, and Alibaba suddenly became very conscious of the knife still firmly held out in his hands. And a complete and utter stranger reaching out as if he'd wanted to take it.

Alibaba jerked the blade before the pale fingers could touch it.

"I closed that dungeon!" the stranger all but snarled, red eyes glowing. "Either that fool Jamil walked out of the place with a Djinn or _nobody_ did. How did a lowly thief with barely any magoi to speak of get his filthy hands on that power?"

Something in Alibaba's gut snapped. _So it was you who flung Morgiana outside the city and Aladdin half across the world._ A wave of anger rushed through him, the urge to move, slash and stab one of the numerous openings he could see—

"Alibaba earned it! He fought hard and he fought fair and Amon chose him!"

And just like that, erased, thanks to a boy who really should be trying to stay out of trouble… but even so, energetic, kind Aladdin, to stand up for him even after everything he'd done tonight—

Alibaba didn't like where the stranger's attention had suddenly gone. Nor the disgusted grimace when the stranger took a step towards Aladdin instead.

"Well, would you look at that. My boringass evening suddenly got _much_ better."

He surveyed the area, though the look on his face made Alibaba think he saw the place more as a stage than an improvised battlefield, then spread his arms in a grandiose gesture. "I am Judar, Magi of the Kou Empire." A wand of pure silver slipped into his hand out of practically nowhere, and he pointed the crimson jewel decorating its top straight at Aladdin.

Vicious smile graced his face.

"Just whose Magi are you, _brat_?"

* * *

There should be a limit to how monotone things could get, Judar decided.

For all the whining he'd heard from Ithnan how slow this was going, he sure as hell wasn't seeing anyone trying to fight back. It was as if the whole city had just collectively holed up and waited for the inevitable to come and all Ithnan and his little band of sleazy bookworms were doing was stomping on an already dead animal.

It was utterly pointless.

Even the bits of black rukh scattered everywhere only spoke of hopelessness and despair; practically none of that thirst for revenge or anger he'd thrived on.

 _Why the hell did I come here?_

Oh, right. That hag had to be married off to the King of this place. Ew, some bad taste right there.

Though maybe Kougyoku would get upset enough just looking at his face to dish out some good Djinn asskicking.

 _Still don't get what that has to do with me._

The sleazy old men had insisted. As if he didn't have better things to do.

Sure, the chances of running into Sinbad around here were high, or so the old men had claimed, but it was completely beyond him why a desperate city with no fight in it would ever get Sinbad to personally show up.

He'd even gone so far to just wander around till nightfall in search of something even remotely interesting. A punch here, an argument there; it didn't really matter, as long as it was a little less boring than the sullen monotony.

Was he really going to have to stir up something when he hadn't even unpacked?

Gah, with attitudes like these, it just didn't seem worth it.

Kougyoku had said it once—a joke, he knew _now_ , but back then it had sounded as a serious suggestion. _Follow the butterflies._ Rukh weren't butterflies! Even that stupid hag ought to know that!

But okay, fine, using butterflies as derogative for the white stuff wasn't that bad of an idea. And in a sea of black, following what bits of white he could find had suddenly seemed worth some effort.

 _Who woulda thunk that a place filled with black rukh could be so sickeningly tedious?_

Kouen really should've just stomped this place in one go and been done with it. Allowing _Ithnan_ of all people to be in charge of an invasion sucked the fun right out.

 _But hey, looks like there's a fight steering up over there…_ He twitched when the turn in the street led him straight into a dead end.

Seriously, this place was like an annoying maze where each and every turn landed him right where he didn't want to be, with everyone going out of their way to be a buzzkill. Judar growled.

 _This better be worth it._

He took off in the air, eyes zooming in on the ongoing fight below. And just when it was about to get good, a goodie-two-shoes had to butt his dumb ass right in the middle of it. Even if doing it with fire earned him some points for creativity.

Wait, fire? _This Rukh…_

"Amon!"

 _Ah hell naw._

The wrinkly old assholes would never get off his case now.

 _Bust the kid up, seal Amon, and just—wait up, this swarm of white Rukh… a magi? This just keeps getting_ better _._

And it was a shrimp to boot.

"Just whose Magi are you, _brat_?"

Heck, the place was filled with brats. The miniature excuse of a magi, the redhead, the dumb little kid with a sword. And even that Djinn warrior looked more like a whiny kid than an actual King worth his Djinn. Nobody even had an equip out, dammit.

But okay, fine, appearances _could_ be deceiving. Kouha for one looked like a little girl but had a penchant for violent murders that tended to be tad too fast for Judar's liking. What was the point of a fight if you weren't going to give the other side a chance to punch back?

And obviously looking like an epitome of a good king didn't actually make one into a good _person_ , although that might just be Sinbad— _wait a sec_.

His eyes zeroed in on the drawn blade and the second eight pointed star gleaming in the moonlight.

Judar groaned.

"Not _another_ one. What is it with you brats and conquering dungeons? How did a shrimp like you even get his hands on Baal? I was _sure_ that idiot king wouldn't just go and get himself killed in some shitty ditch. Did you steal it or something?"

The not!owner gave him a mildly offended look, one that eerily reminded him of another King Vessel who'd look at him that way, just angrier. Then there was that lock of hair that stubbornly stuck out, the purple hue that he'd just about recognize anywhere, that stubbornly stuck up lip and the defiant glare…

No way.

 _No. Fucking. Way._

Uncanny. Like, all down, even to the mushy-bushy eyebrows. _That_ couldn't be an accident. Hell, even the sword… Of course the stupid king would be sentimental enough to give it away. _This is making me sick._

"Oi, could you be that idiot king Sinbad's son?" he ground out, the very idea making him borderline nauseous. Who would be dumb enough to pass their Djinn onto their kid? Heck, Djinn didn't work that way!

Well, unless if somebody had been playing a huge prank on him for most of his life.

No, wait. He was a magi, damn it! He ought to know how this worked!

But the Rukh _couldn't_ lie and that whole point was dumb and irrelevant. Sinbad would find a way to make it work. He was that much of an idiot.

 _Heh. Stupid enough to let his kid run right into my hands._

Except that the Rukh itself was a tad too much like the idiot king's, now that he really was paying attention.

 _This might be fun after all._

The look of utter horror that the wimpy Dungeon Conqueror sent towards Sinbad's smaller doppelganger _guaranteed_ it.

One swift jump and he landed right beside the boy, fingers resting upon the metal vessel while his eyes seized the situation. "You wanted a chance to show off, didn't you?"

The boy stared up at him with wide eyes and the grin threatened to split Judar's face in two.

"Don't worry 'bout the fire user, I won't let him get in the way of my fun. But since it doesn't seem like you know how to use this, I'm going to give you a hand just this once."

Besides, it had been so long since he'd last brought the Djinn out. Even if Baal currently was trying to resist the call.

 _Useless._

Waves of energy blasted his hair backward as he condensed magoi into the blade. "And out you go—"

Visualized, focused and _pulled_.

Flash of lightning tore the sky above Balbadd asunder. Next to the blade, a draconian form began to rise.

Judar relished in the looks of pure horror that crossed the thugs' faces, even those that possessed the filthy magical tools.

 _And the magi brat ought to be cowering in fear by now—_

The blue eyes opened flickered with emotions he couldn't quite describe while the kid gripped onto the flute so hard that his knuckles went white. "So, you can do it, too…"

 _Oh, what would you know? Looks like there's some guts hidden behind that squishy exterior._

 _Wonder how much of it._

Though admittedly, he'd have to figure that brat out later. Baal was looking at him now, and the Rukh around him didn't appear to be all too happy.

" _Magi_."

Judar's grin fell. "Oi, oi, is it really me you're getting all twitchy about? You can feel what those weapons are, the taint in them. And those guys had every intention to use it on your master." Devious grin settled on his face at the hesitance. "Or maybe, that brat behind you _isn't_ your true mast—"

Another flash of lightning and a roar of thunder erased the rest of his sentence. Followed by panicked gasps when three magical tools exploded under the influence of a true Djinn's power.

 _Well, that settles that._

 _Ithnan's going to be so pissed I ended up busting his plans._

Judar grinned.

 _Perfect._

* * *

The entirety of the room tensed just a little the moment Ja'far stopped pacing.

Several attendants glanced towards the door in askance, action Masrur found to be ultimately pointless, since he would have noticed long ago if anyone had actually tried to enter inside.

Though, to be fair, he didn't blame the people for being a little jittery around Ja'far lately. Wasn't there a saying about that? Something about not bullying a dragon… Or was it a lion? Granted, Ja'far was neither, but he could be equally deadly. Even if he did keep it on a tight leash under the polite diplomat exterior.

Not that anyone was trying to poke him with a stick.

"He's _late_."

Aside from Sinbad, apparently, who wasn't even there to take the fall. But what else was new?

Still, Masrur frowned. Tardiness wasn't something their King often exhibited, so it was easy to see why it would bother Ja'far so badly. Especially since it was Sinbad himself who'd decided to move the visit to Balbadd to the top of the already overloaded list the moment their ships stopped coming in.

"This is going beyond irresponsible," Ja'far went on. "First Balbadd puts a stop to every single one of our trading arrangements, then Sin reschedules everything in order to come here. Then he sends us here early, and now that we know for a fact that it's Kou meddling with Balbadd's internal affairs, he's _late_."

"He'll turn up," Masrur said.

He always did.

Not the slightest bit happy that his rant got cut a little too short, Ja'far glared. "Oh, he'll turn up, alright, and when he does, I'm going to throttle him."

Masrur withheld a smile. _You're just upset you're not there to see what trouble he stirred up this time._

Well, best not say that. Not when the ex assassin looked like he'd had enough of Sin's antics to last him the rest of the year. Still, Masrur didn't fail to notice a degree of impatience that went a little beyond the usual levels caused by their king's tendencies to be a walking migraine.

But as much as it irked him, it would make sense. If the rumors were true and King Ahbmad was indeed marrying a princess of the Kou Empire, well… that was bad. That was really bad. Likely for more reasons than Masrur could count, and the least of which was more than half of Sindria's imported goods literally going up in smoke.

A flash of lightning tore through the skies of Balbadd, drawing several gasps.

"Speak of the devil."

Ja'far wasn't amused. "Do you really think he would be that irresponsible to use Baal in the middle of a diplomatically sensitive area filled to the brim with innocent civilians?"

The Fanalis shrugged.

Ja'far brandished his knives with an aggravated sigh. "Wouldn't be Sin if he didn't get himself in the middle of _something_. Let's go."

* * *

Trapped in the palace with several attendants offering to brush her hair, Kougyoku let out a tiny little wistful sigh while watching the lightshow in the distance.

"I knew stupid Judar would have fun without me. Meanie."

* * *

Sin wasn't sure, exactly, how he'd gotten himself a magi. Tough to be fair, he wasn't even sure what a magi _was_. Aladdin's explanation had been sketchy at best. Yet there was a guy butting into his fight like he'd just been given an early birthday present and suddenly declaring things such as, "Oh, I know! I think I'ma pick you as my king after all! What'd ya say 'bout that?"

Honestly, if Baal hadn't looked so infuriated by the statement, he would've been tempted to agree. It sounded exciting!

But Baal gave him a _look_ , one that implied there was a story there and it was probably an interesting one, at the very least, and that he better not dare agree with anything this person proposed before he heard it.

"How about we talk it through after I stop this robbery?" he offered instead.

Judar seemed to think it over for a moment, before throwing his arms up.

"Boring! Besides, the only one worth fighting now is this guy. And he sucks."

Sinbad found the offhanded gesture toward Alaibaba to be rather rude, all things considered. Especially because it looked like Judar had nailed one thing that seemed to had been bothering his new friend and sort of a caretaker for what looked like a long time.

"But Alibaba is a friend," he said, and the relief he saw in Aladdin's eyes gnawed at his heart. "I'm not going to fight him over something like this."

"Gee, I thought you'd at least be fun to poke around, but you're even more if a buzzkill than the idiot king."

 _Oi!_

"Try making sense, for once!" Sin exploded. "Idiot king this, idiot king that, like I have any idea who you're talking about! You drop in all of a sudden and call yourself a magi, like I'm supposed to know… What even is a magi? All I see is this random guy in weird clothing complaining about everything!"

The sudden sputtering almost made him grin.

" _You_ don't get to insult my clothes!"

"Then what's with the weird hair? And that wand you're waving around?"

"That's none of your damn business! Not with that dumb look on your face like somebody smacked you with a teapot!"

Sinbad blinked.

Morgiana's signal got his attention.

 _Ah damn it, now I forgot what I was going to say…_

He sighed, just the moment before the guards gathered. At the head of the group, his Ur game partner sent him a discreet nod, a sign the plan had worked out in their favor after all.

Sin let out a little sigh of relief when the entirety of the Fog Troupe tensed. At least they seemed to understand that an all out brawl wouldn't be in anyone's interest. Even if that Kassim guy looked like he'd rather swallow his sword than retreat.

Eyes fluttering between his crew and the armed guards, he cursed. "Everyone, fall back!"

Though that glare promised that this wasn't yet over.

Sin relaxed his stance as they disappeared in the mist, scratching the back of his head. And blinked, as most guards came to a stop and stared at Baal with wide eyed wonder, then at him, for the Djinn had taken a stance that left it very clear who exactly he was protecting. Few jumped at the old man's order to pursue the enemy, at least until they realized that Morgiana was standing in their way.

"Hey, hey, Mor…"

She merely glanced at Aladdin before focusing back on the Lord's guards.

"Drive them away. That's all we agreed to do," she said.

"But this is our best chance! If they escape..."

It showed how bad the state in the city was when more than half the soldiers didn't even stick around for the rest of the old man's argument, and instead returned to staring at Baal. The few that still remained determined to move, hesitated, when majority of the group stayed put.

The old man lowered his head towards Morgiana and let out a tired huff. "It appears that you got your wish." His eyes flickered over to Sin, in what looked like a mix of interest and suspicion. "You may not have reached an understanding with the dice, but it you seem to have your ways to reach out to a man's heart."

Sin shrugged, a little bummed that, even if they'd protected the mansion, he didn't feel particularly satisfied. "A lot of Balbadd sees them as heroes for some reason. I just wanted to understand why."

He followed the old man's inquisitive glance towards where Alibaba still stood, pale and with a knife in hand. Though it didn't appear as though he wanted to start anything.

"I think you have found your answer."

Sinbad stared as the man walked away, and the remaining guards began to scatter around. One of the younger men still stood, blinking up towards Baal and at the same time poking his partner in the ribs.

"It's _exactly_ like in Sinbad's stories!"

 _… huh?_

"No way, damn it, he's supposed to be spitting fire, not lightning!"

"Wrong, it's the dragon in the dungeon that spits fire! This is the Djinn! Like, the real, actual Djinn!"

"He doesn't have the curvy horns, so nope, I'm still going with a dungeon creature."

Baal looked down at Sin in what might've been petulance. "I sometimes truly wish you'd reign in that imagination of yours, my lord."

"But I didn't do anything?"

The Djinn merely shook his head before dispersing into golden light. A vibration echoed inside him, shaking Sinbad down to the core, until a voice resonated in his head. _"You now know what you need to do, my Lord. On your call, I shall come."_

Because that didn't sound confusing at all.

But… looking down at his father's sword, he thought he might just have an idea how to put this new power to use.

And Judar was complaining again, something about wasted magoi, annoyed enough to be one step away from walking right out of there. _Sheesh, quiet down a bit, why don't you?_

Sin looked at Alibaba instead, more than a little glad that he of all people had decided to stay, at least for a little while longer. "So, uh—"

"Is somebody going to explain what's going on here?"

 _Wait._ I _was just about to ask that._

Sinbad turned, just around the time Morgiana did the same. Two more strangers jumped from the roof; one with his muscular chest armored in gold, eyes and hair strangely reminiscent of Morgiana's, while the other seemed much smaller but nimble, even if the robes looked awfully difficult to walk in. Red jewel decorated his forehead.

Sin tried to catch Morgiana's attention, but for all her superior fanalis senses, she noticed none of it.

Behind them, Alibaba collapsed, more color draining from his already pale face, a bead of sweat rolling down his neck. Mouth opening and closing, he stared up at the two, barely noticing when Aladdin reached his side.

"Why… what in the world is Sindria doing here?"

The pair of golden eyes sought out Sin, as though he had all the answer hidden somewhere under his robes.

… Er… what?

* * *

 **A/N** : Uh, not very relevant, but if anyone knows or has seen a pic or fanart of Sinbad and Alibaba standing back to back, would you let me know? I've been looking for something to use as a cover image, but nothing I've seen feels appropriate!

Thank you all so much for giving this fic a chance!


	4. How about we talk a little?

A/N: Do not ask. Three rewrites later, still not happy. You know what happens when you write yourself in a corner by allowing characters to talk things through? Yeah. It's amazing how many of Magi's problems would've been solved if people only _talked_.

Er. Everything should be going to hell next chapter. Maybe. What I have written now might end up changed, if this long wait is any indication. Sorry about that.

Cover art belongs to mitsuxodc_38 (twitter name), pixiv ID=3850551. She's amazing you guys, drop by and look at some other pics she's got!

* * *

Ja'far took a moment to carefully assess the situation in front of him.

 _This… might be a problem._

It had seemed like the best idea at the time. Pick up the kids and drag them along to the hotel. Considering that Baal had disappear right before their eyes, Judar had looked like he'd been searching for a suitable dose of violence and both Sinbad and that Alibaba boy had their swords drawn, that certainly was the quickest and the cleanest method that would ensure both more information on Balbadd's state of affairs and Sindria's currently missing king. Assuring them they meant no harm helped immensely, and providing food upon arrival helped build trust, even if only a little.

Which only was only one in a million problems he knew they were going to need to tackle, and soon.

Between Balbadd's extremely unstable political affairs, Kou's meddling in the country's economy and a group of thieves wrecking havoc upon an already badly starved city, Sinbad may had just chosen the worst possible moment to go anywhere on his own.

Whatever was in store for Balbadd had to be big, bigger than what Sin had suspected back when he'd ordered the trip, likely bigger than the worst case scenario Ja'far could come up with on the fly. Because Judar may have made his exit the moment he and Masrur had taken the field, but he might as well had left a giant red flag waving. If he was willing to have his fun _later_ , then whatever Kou was scheming, it was big, important and it would get a number of people killed.

 _We can't let that happen._

Ja'far carefully watched as the kids stuffed their mouth with food, noting that neither his king's younger doppelganger or the Fog Troupe's leader had ever quite relaxed, and the younger two followed the cue. There was no silly chit chat, things that did get spoken aloud only ever touched the most everyday subjects and the occasional looks that did come Ja'far's way remained wary.

The initial plan for Balbadd had been simple, perhaps too much so. Ja'far and Masrur come through the sea, Sinbad through the land. Meet in the city, and decide the best course of action after they had enough information to go on.

Except, observing the gold eyed boy too busy fighting sleep to even account for the fact that he may have been thrown many, _many_ years into the future, _that_ didn't go according to plan.

 _Forget explanations. Focus on what's important now._

Get them to rest, make them comfortable. Earn their trust. Because they were going to need his help as much as he was going to need theirs.

Much easier said than done, unfortunately.

The boy was definitely his king, not a single doubt about it. Any suspicions he may have had got stuffed into a box and thrown out the window the moment he confirmed his household vessel remained the same as always. Sinbad had Baal with him, and _Baal was right here_. Even the metal vessel looked to be in a far better shape that Ja'far remembered it being.

 _It doesn't help that his friends don't trust us very much._

Alibaba especially, though if he truly was the one leading a notorious gang of thieves, Ja'far didn't blame him.

Alibaba hadn't been very forthcoming in any attempts to get a proper conversation going. Kept his mouth shut when the talk even so much as drifted towards anything that may mention the Fog Troupe. But he'd sucked it up and stayed, if only out of loyalty towards his friends and that… well. If that boy was indeed who Ja'far suspected him to be, he showed potential.

And the younger version of his king may claim that all he wanted was to return home, but Ja'far knew the look in those eyes. Now that he'd seen the state of the city for himself, Sinbad could never just walk away.

In that case, maybe informing him of his status as a king wasn't the best idea. But Judar had already nicked the subject, Alibaba wouldn't have walked out of the room without asking, and just one look in those gold eyes made every other option unavailable at best. But even so, it all came down too fast, too much, and it would take time for the boy to understand what it truly meant, the time they didn't have. To deal with this, they needed Sinbad, the High King of the Seven Seas, a man well versed into the matters of diplomacy and politics, even Alibaba recognized that.

This boy… just wasn't.

And that, Ja'far reflected, was going to take time getting used to. He hadn't slipped up, not yet, but having a King who didn't know, who'd never gotten a chance to experience anything his King had, who never met Ja'far or any of the other generals…

 _If I have it this bad, then how must it be for him?_

No. There'd be time to think about this, later. They needed to talk. But probably, even more than that, they needed time to rest. Wrap their minds about everything that happened.

Ja'far cleared his throat. "There are several things I'd wish to discuss some more, but it's late. Which is why I'd propose we continue this tomorrow. If you so wish, you may rest here for the night, all of it on our expense."

The spark in those eyes confirmed Alibaba had recognized his words for what they were. Ja'far wasn't going to hold them there by force, any of them. But wherever they chose to go… He wasn't letting Sinbad out of sight, that was for sure.

"... We'll stay, in that case. If you don't mind."

The second part of that may not have been intended for him, but Ja'far smiled anyway. Aladdin and Morgiana exchanged looks that settled on Sinbad moments later.

"Uh, sure," he mumbled, failed hiding another yawn.

Ja'far's nod, and several of the girls were already rushing to arrange a room.

He didn't miss the looks that passed between Masrur and the much smaller Fanalis as she followed the boys out, nor the soft crease of brow on his fellow general's forehead.

Sinbad froze at the door, like he may have wanted to ask something more, but seemingly decided against it and joined the others with a shake of head.

Ja'far released a tired sigh the moment he was sure they were out of earshot, hoping his face didn't look as bad as he felt. "We need to get in touch with Yamraiha." If there was _anyone_ in this world who could figure out what may have happened, how and why regardless of how incompatible her magic with the Djinn's, it would be her.

"Think Sin's in trouble?" Masrur asked, and Ja'far barely stopped himself from asking _which_ one.

"Absolutely."

Though he was not prepared to consider all the possible things that may have befallen their king, not without fear that he might just drive himself insane. Dungeons were infamous for bending space and time, but this time, Ja'far thought, they might've gone a little too far.

"Judar is already aware of it," he said. "Kou isn't going to be far behind, and with Kou, the rest of the world…" Which meant that, let alone the fact his King was missing, the version of him that was right here was going to be in danger, much greater danger than they'd prepared for. It was only a matter of time before somebody came after him, and sure, Ja'far knew Sinbad could take care of himself. Even so young, he had been able to evade Parthevian army and assassins, but…

 _Back then, he didn't have the entirety of Al Thamen after his head._

The fact he had friends already put him at an advantage, especially since the circle of friends was made of another Djinn Conqueror, a Magi and a Fanalis, but that could only do so much.

"A mess," Masrur summed up.

Combined with what was currently going on in Balbadd, and all Ja'far could see was a volcano just waiting to erupt. One that could easily do as much damage as a fully charged Bararaq Saiqa. Likely more. And with even a whiff of Al Thamen in the air…

Ja'far let out an aggravated sigh. _Mess doesn't even begin to cover it._

* * *

"So, umm…"

Morgiana's hand settled on Aladdin's shoulder and she shook her head before he could say anything more, hoping the looking in her eyes got the message across. _Let them settle it first._

Alibaba had looked far out of his depth from the moment those Sindrian representatives had shown up. And Sin… Well. Either way, they had no reason to stare each other down like that. Their day had been long. Many things had happened. If this continued for a minute longer—

Alibaba's shoulders slumped, whatever argument he'd been intending to make lost when he collapsed down on the bed, shaking his head.

And Morgiana released the softest of sighs. _Crisis averted._ For now.

Alibaba cradled his head. "This… You… I can't believe this. You're actually _him_. The first Dungeon Conqueror… King of Sindria… you… "

Sin looked away, a little tense. "Err…"

"I thought you were a liar. A _fraud_."

"Hey!" Sin flared, vaguely offended, but he deflated almost immediately. "I don't know," he said. "This is…"

"Really messed up," Alibaba finished for him. "How…"

He trailed off when Aladdin came to sit beside him, wide eyes fluttering from one to another, full of concern, but soft. Understanding, Morgiana realized, in the way only Aladdin could be. "It all sounds really complicated, but Mister Ja'far promised to help, right? I'm sure we can work something out."

Sinbad let his head drop, fists tight. "Yes. I'm sure there's a way around this. But that aside, there's something I've been meaning to ask." His eyes narrowed a fraction, and Alibaba flinched.

Morgiana wasn't sure when she'd started holding her breath. She didn't need to guess to know exactly what was bothering Sin. It had been bothering her as well, but she believed that Alibaba had a good reason to keep silent. All that respect the people of the slums had for him had to have come from somewhere, though Morgiana believed it to be well deserved. But actual thievery wasn't something he'd do, it didn't fit with the kind of person she _knew_ he was.

 _There has to be a reason._ And it was only fair to ask.

Alibaba seemed to hunch over even more, not quite daring to look at either one of them. "I… owe you some explanations. Just… sit down. Make yourselves comfortable. It's a long story and you deserve to know. But before that, I have to tell you a friend's story first."

By the time one of the ladies came to tell them the second room was prepared, they'd all curled on the bed one way or another. Wrapped in the blankets, snuggled against the cushions. Morgiana, for one, was happy that this bed was much spacier than Alibaba's had been. She could rest without worrying she'd elbow somebody in the ribs again.

"So, you remember Kassim, right? Well, it goes something like this…" Alibaba began, with a note of fond wistfulness that didn't quite match up to what she remembered of his dark-skinned friend. But she listened to the story with utmost attention, fighting sleep to find out why, exactly, he went so far to lead a group of thieves.

She wanted to know, to understand, even as things quickly escalated beyond what she thought complicated.

So Alibaba is a prince, moreover, thinks he's responsible… but she couldn't tell, one way or another. He spoke of Balbadd's state of ruin as if it was his own fault, but it sounded too complicated. A lapse in judgement that allowed the treasury to be robbed, something like that… would it really be enough to leave so many hungry people on the streets?

 _No. It's the taxes that make it difficult for the citizen_ , he said as much himself. _So does he thinks it could've been better, if only he'd done something differently?_

But it seemed deeper than that. It wasn't just guilt spurring him on. There was something more. Something she should've remembered from the very beginning.

You want to help these people. Just like in Quishan, you want to do everything in your power to change things. But if he had a way, then certainly, he wouldn't be looking this tired, this vulnerable. _Does that mean you don't think there's a way?_

"Wait," Sin interrupted the story, stiffening a yawn just as Alibaba finished outlining the idea to negotiate with the King. "If it's the royalty that caused this, would negotiation work? From what I understood at the docks, taxes are too high, and there's no work. It sounds similar to how things are… were in my country. As long as it was good for them, nobody cared to change anything. That's why I chose to conquer a dungeon. To change that unreasonable fate. Simply going out there to negotiate… would that really work?"

Morgiana opened her mouth, because it would, it _should_ , even lord Jamil found it difficult to push his own methods when the people demanded for a change en masses. But the expression on Alibaba's face told her he didn't think that way.

After a long period silence, he sighed. "I don't know. But I have to try. I thought, when I gained enough support, I could make an appeal. I know Abhmad, he'd never agree with all our requests, but some, at least… There's only so much the Fog Troupe can do. We're trying to reach out to the islands, but the ships are only heading to Kou and its allied countries now. Not only did the trade die down, they're no longer sending supplies to the islands…" he shook his head, burying his nose in the pillow. "There's nothing else we can do."

Morgiana wanted to speak. Offer anything, but nothing that came to mind could comfort, let alone help, so she remained silent instead. What she'd seen of Balbadd had made her sad, but now it also sparked a desire within her to do something. Alibaba helped her, so naturally she wanted to do her best to help him in return. _But what I can do? There's nothing…_

Beside her, Aladdin smiled.

"I'm sure there has to be a way," he said, and she stared up at him as he sat up as suddenly as Alibaba and Sin did.

"Aladdin," Alibaba began, but the boy shook his head.

"We can do it! I know you said this is something you have to do on your own, but we're friends, Alibaba. We'll do whatever we can do to to help. Now that we know all this, I'm sure that we can think of a solution together."

"Yes," Morgiana added. "The situation is dire, but there must be something we can do."

Sin nodded vehemently. "There is still so much I don't know. I reached for this power to help my country, but I ended up here in the end. That means there is something we can change here. We're all tired now, but in the morning, I'm sure, we'll be able to come up with something."

"You… All of you really think that way?"

Morgiana smiled, even if the question surprised her a little more than it should have. _He doesn't see it yet. But he will._

"Of course," Aladdin said. "If we put our minds to it, I'm sure we can do anything!"

"Except decide on which orange belonged to whom, of course," Sin put in.

"That was just one time!"

"But you totally took Mor's orange and you didn't even apologize."

Morgiana sighed, nudging them both before it could escalate to another scuffle. Sin had already tried to pinch Aladdin on the cheek twice. "I told you, it's fine, so please do not worry about it."

"I'm sorry, Mor! I'll never do it again!"

Honestly, did they really need to bring it up? But Alibaba was smiling, so maybe, it was okay, just this once. "Let's go to sleep," she said instead. "It's been a long day."

"Oh, you can say that again."

* * *

Ja'far looked up from the scroll between his hands as the faintest of sounds reached his ears. Under the light of the candle, there was only so much he could see, even with the faint line of morning sky in the distance, but there'd been no mistaking it. A shape stood in the frame, shadowed and silent.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Ja'far asked.

The boy walked only a step inside, still lingering close to the door. "Um, Ja'far, you said… you've known me for a long time."

The former assassin offered a simple nod. By the hesitation alone, so uncharacteristic of the king he'd known for so long, he could tell there were plenty of questions coming his way, many of which he wasn't sure how he could answer. So many things had happened. _But until I'm sure this is permanent, that there's no way to reverse it, should I…?_

"Do you know anything about my mother?" the boy asked, bringing that thought to an immediate halt. "You say it's been years, so I can already guess… but anything you can tell me, about my mother, about my village…"

Ja'far swallowed thickly. "There's no easy way to say this. We met shortly after you conquered Baal's dungeon. By then, you'd already left Parthevia."

Sinbad nodded, short and snappy, with a slight shudder to his breath. "So, even if I found a ship…" Before Ja'far could so much as think to form a reply, he continued, "You also mentioned that you're here because of Balbadd. Something went wrong, and so you came…"

"Balbadd is our main trading partner," Ja'far said, more than a little glad to be sinking back in familiar waters. "When the trade routes got cut off, we couldn't stay silent. But even more, this country… at one point, this was our home, too."

"So you, too, want to help this country?" Sinbad asked. "You say I'm your king. I don't feel that way. I don't know that life. The idea crossed my mind, but I never… In essence, even if you put it that way, I'm not a king. But our goals align. You wish to help this country? So do I. And Alibaba as well. And if that is the case, then, would you allow me to borrow Sindria's power to do it?"

Ja'far's breath hitched in his throat. It would be a lie to say he hadn't thought of this as a possibility, but there was a glint to those eyes, a glint he knew all too well.

"You have an idea," Sindria's minister noted. "What do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet. I don't know how politics works, what you can and can't do. But if you came here, then that must mean Sindria can do _something_."

Ja'far hesitated. "There's a limit to what can be done. Balbadd's debts towards Kou are substantial, from what I surmised, and there might be something we can do about that, but Sindria, and by extension the Seven Seas Alliance, cannot and will not meddle into another country's domestic affairs. And majority of the problem lies there."

Sinbad nodded. "But, if we put pressure, both from inside and out, something should come of it? Alibaba? He has support from the people. He wants to negotiate. If Sindria can do something from the outside, some sort of a contract, or something…"

"Appealing to the king would be one way to go about it, but something tells me you don't think that is going to work. Why?"

Sinbad swallowed thickly. "I'm not sure. But if the king already allowed things to get this bad, then I don't think he's going to listen. If Sindria can push things from the outside, and if we could just find some way to get money without the Fog Troupe resorting to thievery maybe start trading…"

Could probably work, Ja'far realized. Balbadd lived and died by trade, if there were some way to get it going again, there could be a way to prevent further economic decline. _But not with Al Thamen here. If they really are the ones stirring the pot, then not even something like this would stop them._

With Al Thamen directly involved, they couldn't just assume economic ruin was all they were striving for.

 _More importantly, with Al Thamen here, no matter what Sin does, it won't be enough. We were too late. And without Rashid here, it's doubtful anyone will listen to what we have to say. But Rashid is…_

Wait. Wait just a moment.

"Sin, you said the Wonder Man Alibaba wants to negotiate with the king?"

"That's the idea. With enough support…"

Ja'far turned the rest of it out. That was wrong. Even if the thief had all the necessary support from the people, he was still nothing but a thief. Even in possession of a Metal Vessel, that added no status or power whatsoever, unless if…

Alibaba… Rashid… If Sinbad were here, he'd know for sure, but if there was even the slightest possibility…

 _No._ Around Sin, even the most contrived of coincidences were never _just_ coincidences. And with two Djinn Vessels and two Magis threatening to wreck havoc upon the city, no circumstance was too contrived to be impossible.

"I think there may be something we can do. Probably several somethings," Ja'far decided. "But to know for sure, I'm going to need to speak to your friend first. It's true, that I have Sindria's best interests in mind… but Sinbad I know… Sindria and the Seven Seas Alliance as a whole, wouldn't have gotten anywhere without former king's support. It is only fair we pay it back in kind. Alibaba should know that." Though he said that, he couldn't quite quell the knowing smile. "But it seems like you have come up with a plan of your own."

At that, Sinbad smiled. "I'm not sure what can be done about the king, but I think I may have an idea how to to rally the people."

Ja'far returned a smile of his own, but despite the curiosity, stopped himself before he could ask. As a bureaucrat, he felt the need to know. But as a friend and closest confidant, he knew better than to try and put shackles on a brilliant mind that was only now beginning to wake. And right now, what Sin needed was a friend, not a minister. Encouragement. Realism could come later.

"I'll only ask you to put that on hold until I've had a chance to speak with your friend."

Sinbad grinned. "I'll need his help anyway. Speaking of, I should really go back."

Ja'far noted with no small amount of amusement the first rays of rising sun. "Yes, you really should."

He paused at the door, with a small sigh. "Thanks, Ja'far."

Glancing down where a single clear piece of marble rested, Ja'far sighed. Said nothing as the door shut.

Just a little longer. Yamraiha said that it would take her until morning to arrange everything. As soon as she'd arrived, maybe they'd get a chance to do something. His young king might've been right here, but the instincts inside him warned him to never take things at face value. Who was to say that _his_ King truly was gone?

 _And if not, where in the world could he have ended up?_


End file.
